US Airways Flight 1549 Plane Crash Hudson in New York taken by Janis Krums on an iPhone

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg paid tribute to the pilot of Flight
1549.

He said: "It woud appear the pilot did a masterful job of landing
the plane in the river and making sure everyone got out." The
pilot "walked the plane twice" to ensure all passengers had
got out before leaving the plane himself.

Mayor Bloomberg said the NTSB would be investigating the cause of the
accident and would be arriving in New York this evening.

At the same press conference, New York Governor David Paterson also
paid tribute to the US Airways pilot and called the rescue a
"miracle on the Hudson".

In a live interview with a rescued passenger identified as Alberto
Panero, CNN's Wolf Blitzer reported that all passengers are safe and
that the emergency exit was smoothly handled by US Airways staff.

When asked about his feelings immediately after the rescue Alberto
Panero replied, "It was a near death experience (that) thankfully
did not turn that way." Passengers are crediting pilots and crew
with averting a potential tragedy.

TV pictures showed passengers standing on the wings of the plane in
the frigid waters. Ferries surrounded the plane, an Airbus A320.

Flight 1549 information

For updates on Flight 1549 try the US Airways hot line 1-800-679-8215
Doug Parker, US Airways CEO, is asking that only family and loved ones
of passengers use this number.

Flight 1549, an Airbus A320, was at maximum capacity of 150 seats when
it went down, and the total number on board including pilots and crew
was 155. As many as 71 people are believed to have been treated for
minor injuries at nearby hospitals, including four reported cases of
hypothermia.New Jersey Police report that the airliner's pilot
signalled a mayday following the bird strike and then was able to fly
the plane to the Hudson River and ditched the aircraft. The plane went
down near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US
Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute
to Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday when the crash occurred in the river
near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, may have been hit by birds.

The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue
crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life
vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which
appeared to be slowly sinking.

Janis Krums from Sarasota, Florida posts the first photo of U.S.
Airways flight 1549 on Twitter from his iPhone. Thirty-four minutes
after Janis posted his photo, MSNBC interviewed him live on TV as a
witness). twitpic.com/135xa

I saw your shot on ABC news tonight. Didn't expect to see it here! (Altho, I don't know why.) I just did a search for "flight 1549". I took my students on a field trip to Ellis Island today and put a few shots up on my photostream as well. But NOTHING like this!!! LOL You caught the "money shot"! Thank GOD they were all ok. Thank GOD they had the pilot they had.

EDIT: I just realized you were not the actual photographer of this shot. So the above message is really to him. But I'm glad it's on flickr.